An interesting day so far, I am only in the middle of it, writing this, so that I can do the all more important task of writing my conclusions about the Grand Tour and all such impressions of the continent after this, whilst I am on the train back to London. To begin this final of my days in Paris, I woke up for a change before my roommate at about 8:00, having gotten to bed about 1:00 to 1:30 or so last night. It was a pleasant day, and one that seemed a little tame to the past few days in some ways, but also a lot more severe, or perhaps a better way is exciting and romantic in others. We first started off by going to the Georg Pompidou building, which was very strange and very pleasing in some ways and although it was built about 35 years ago, it was extremely modern in many ways. It had tubes of staircases in and everything, including the ventilation displayed on the outside of the building in different colours, and it was all quite nice for a modern design, but then I tend to enjoy modern architecture quite a lot, versus modern art.
After this little excursion, we drove through one of if not the first square in the world (I mean city square of course), and then we came to the theatre where the Bastille used to be. It is now a theatre complex (I think) and it used to be a train station, with a viaduct leading away from it. The theatre being only about ten years old, they needed to decide what to do with the viaduct, and decided to put beneath the arches, little shops, and on the top of the viaduct a joggers park, which was actually quite nice. We walked along this, and found it to be very enjoyable indeed, and I think this was put into place by the Mayor of Paris of the time Chirac, who of course is now the President of France. The part of the day I looked forward to most was of course what we did next, and that is to go to the Pere Lachaise cemetery, where of course, Jim Morrison is buried, and actually a host of other famous and not so famous people too. I was a bit disappointed, because I think I had heard this, but did not remember until I saw it, but somebody stole the bust on Jim Morrison’s grave. I wanted to see it, in all of its glory of defacement and such, but oh well, at least I got to see the tomb itself, which had a nice bouquet of flowers on it, and it was rather obscurely hidden by other sarcophagi around it which were taller, and there was also a fence blocking it. All the same it was nice to see this, as I am a moderate Doors fan. We also walked by and saw Frederic Chopin’s tomb, which I must admit was much more impressive, and had a nice statue and everything on it, as well as a likeness of him.
After the cemetery we came to a great and most wondrous park, that was made to resemble a “Grand Tour of Europe” as you strolled through it. It had a cascade that was made to resemble a waterfall in the Alps, it had grottoes, which unfortunately we did not see. It also had a little temple to Vesta, which was small but fair to see. It was all on a hill, and was in my opinion a very romantic and beautiful place to go in Paris, I would love to go back and see it much more in depth. Sadly, we had to go through it fairly quickly as we needed to get to our train, and leave back to London, we made it surprisingly early, and once on the train (through all of the wretched checks and difficulties that is the system of passport control), I sat down and began to write this entry, and so far this is where I am. When I got off the train, I went to go and get on the Bakerloo line to Baker St, to get on the Hammersmith line, but unfortunately, my Oyster card did not have any money at all left on it, so I had to go wait in line for a while to get a month filled on it, which I did. Afterward, I went home, and when I got home, Seamus was there. He and I talked for a while, and I basically took it easy, not doing much, save listening to the Doors, and watching a bit of Gone With the Wind, the best film ever.
I did not do much, save to talk a lot to Erika about many things, and I opened up to her a lot about my worries and concerns and other things I would never dare mention again. I also talked to Kevin online and he and I talked about a series of things as well, including hat most abominable of subjects Abby and Megan. Why we should have mentioned them is still murky to me, but it was something I was well glad to be rid of here in London for a while. I hope that when I do return to the States I can keep this rubbish well away from me, it brings only misery and pain. While I am on the subject, can I just say that I am completely ready and happy to be rid of all manners of drama or intrigue that are not here. Though I miss people at home, I realised deeply tonight that it is perhaps best for me to be gone to see what life free of such ridiculousness is. This is why Japan is calling me when I return, and why Africa is calling me beforehand. I have realised this more today than ever before, or I should say in my recent continental adventures that I am the most powerful entity known to me, and that I can free myself of such garbage of relationship difficulty, the sorrow of the rejection of Abigail and everyone else and that I can find my own while I am here. I will explain this all more in an entry I am posting tomorrow, but that is what I am writing for now. Anyway, so that was France and now back to the UK for a while until I make my way up to Cambridgeshire, Manchester (Stockton Heath, but still on the Mersey) and Edinburgh and Sterling, then to South of the Equator! Back, and then away again to the Orient (or Asia if you prefer)!